One of the patients' sons and 2 cousins had a history of focal dystonia, 1 of the patients' parents had consanguinity and his 2 cousins had a history of focal dystonia, and the patient with Parkinson disease had a brother with Parkinson disease.

In 1999, after having been named to Billboards Top Ten Chart, McLaughlin vanished from sight as his career crumbled due to a little-known neuromuscular disorder, focal dystonia, which destroyed the use of his fret-playing hand.

As Lie-Nemeth puts it, focal dystonia can impact the careers of instrumental musicians (patients may complain of a loss of voluntary control in the hands or embouchure when playing their instrument): the primary source of the problem is in the brain.

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.